Hastings Marks One Year Anniversary Of Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre

Statement

One year ago, the lives of each and every American were touched by an incomprehensible act of violence in a small town in Connecticut named Newtown. On that day, the lives of twenty children and six teachers were cut short in a hail of gunfire that shook our faith and shocked our nation to its core. Although the vast majority of Americans had never before heard of Newtown, as the horrific details of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School slowly unfolded, the unimposing community was quickly transformed into a national symbol of heartbreak and tragedy.

One year later, we still reel from the truths of this tragedy. More than 30,000 gun deaths are reported every year, and mass shootings seemingly make headlines every day. For those who have lost loved ones and friends from gun violence, no words will ever replace the sense of loss or the emptiness that remains.

We must remain committed to enacting real reforms that will prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again. On this solemn anniversary, I pledge to continue to fight for reasonable gun control reforms, new investments in crime prevention, tougher criminal sentencing, and new reforms in mental health care. Together, we can work to stem the flow of weapons and reduce the number of deaths from firearms.

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